Friday, June 16, 2017

TheList 4480

I hope you all have a great weekend. Happy Father's day to all. A special poem for all those Fathers who served and continue to serve is provided below.

Regards,

Skip

This Day In Naval History - June 16

1898 - U.S. squadron bombards Santiago, Cuba

1953: During the Korean War, USS Princeton (CVS 37) launches 184 sorties against enemy front-line positions, a new record for offensive sorties flown from a carrier during the Korean War in a single day.

Ballet star Rudolf Nureyev defects from the Soviet Union while in Paris.

1971

An El Greco sketch, "The Immaculate Conception," stolen in Spain 35 years earlier, is recovered in New York City by the FBI.

1977

Leonid Brezhnev is named president of the Soviet Union.

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Thanks to Wigs

lmanac

Father's Day

Sonora Louise Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, came up with the idea of a day to honor fathers in 1909. Her own father, William Smart, was a Civil War veteran whose wife had died in childbirth. Dodd thought about the difficulties her father had faced as he struggled to raise his six motherless children on a farm in eastern Washington, and she set her mind to honoring all fathers. She approached local churches, and on Sunday, June 19, 1910, Spokane ministers celebrated the first Father's Day by reminding their congregations of the appreciation fathers deserve and the duties fathers owe to their families.

In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson took part in a Father's Day celebration by pressing a button in the White House that unfurled a flag in Spokane. In 1924 Calvin Coolidge recommended the widespread observance of the holiday to honor dads and "impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations."

The idea of a national Father's Day was slow to catch on, but communities and states gradually joined the observance. During the Depression, in an effort to boost sales, retailers began encouraging the holiday with "Give Dad Something to Wear" campaigns.

In 1972 President Richard Nixon signed a law officially recognizing the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Each year, the president issues a proclamation urging Americans to remember all that their fathers have given to family and country

Make It A Nice Day,

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Thanks to Randy

Subject:FW: : Daddy's Poem (MUST READ!!!!!!!!!)

Daddy's Poem

Her hair was in a pony tail,

Her dress tied with a bow.

Today was "Daddy's Day" at school,

She couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,

That she probably should stay home;

The kids just might not understand,

If she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;

She knew just what to say,

What to tell her classmates

Why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,

For her to face this day alone.

And that was why, once again,

She tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school,

Eager to tell them all

About a dad she never sees, a dad

Who never calls.

There were daddies along the wall

for everyone to meet,

Children squirming impatiently,

Anxious in their seat.

One by one the teacher called

A student from the class.

To introduce their daddy,

As seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,

As each child turned to stare.

Each of them was searching,

For a man who wasn't there.

"Where's her daddy at?"

She heard a boy call out.

"She probably doesn't have one,"

Another dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,

She heard a daddy say,

"Looks like another deadbeat dad,

Too busy to waste his day."

The words did not offend her,

As she smiled up at her Mom.

And looked back at her teacher, who

Told her to go on.

And with hands behind her back,

Slowly she began to speak.

And out from the mouth of a child,

Came words incredibly unique.

"My Daddy couldn't be here,

Because he lives so far away.

But I know he wishes he could be,

Since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,

I wanted you to know

All about my daddy,

And how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories,

He taught me to ride my bike;

He surprised me with pink roses,

And taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes,

And ice cream in a cone.

And though you cannot see him.

I'm not standing here alone.

'Cause my daddy's always with me,

Even though we are apart;

I know because he told me,

He'll forever be in my heart"

With that, her little hand reached up,

And lay across her chest,

Feeling her own heartbeat

Beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere there in the crowd of dads,

Her mother stood in tears.

Proudly watching her little girl,

Wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love

Of a man not in her life.

Doing what was best for her,

Doing what was a right.

And when she dropped her hand back

Down, staring straight into the crowd.

She finished with a voice so soft,

But its message clear and loud.

"I love my daddy very much,

He is my shining star.

And if he could, he'd be here,

But heaven's just too far.

You see he is a soldier

And he died just this past year,

When a roadside bomb hit his convoy

And taught the warriors fear.

But sometimes when I close my eyes,

It's like he never went away."

And then she closed her eyes,

And saw him clearly there that day.

And to her mother's amazement,

She witnessed with surprise,

A room full of daddies and children,

All starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them;

Who knows what they felt inside,

Perhaps, for a mere second,

They saw him at her side.

"I know you're with me Daddy,"

To the silence she called out

And what happened next made believers,

Of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it,

For each of their eyes had been closed,

But there on the desk beside her

Was a fragrant, long-stemmed, pink rose

And a child was blessed, if only for

A moment, by the love of her shining star,

And given the gift of believing,

That heaven is never too far.

* * *

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Send this to the people you'll never forget and remember to send it also to the person that sent it to you. It's a short message to let them know that you'll never forget them.

If you don't send it to anyone, it means you're in a hurry and that you've forgotten your friends.

Take the time....to live and love.

Until eternity

God Bless

There must be many children in the same boat as this little girl, thanks to our servicemen and their families for the sacrifice they are making to keep our country free.

The ULTIMATE sacrifice is being left behind.

Don't forget them.

PRAY FOR OUR TROOPS!!!

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Thanks to Shadow -

Oh Great Bear…

This one brings back some memories… Will never forget Father's Day 1966… or the men who made it so memorable, for my Father and me.

As summer approached… I was "in country" and in late May we came in from one of the longest periods of being in the field for anyone… almost 90 days. It had been a ball buster. I think I had lost almost 30 of my 160 pounds. As we left our operating area near Co Bi Than-tan, just north of Hue… we moved back to Phu Bai. I was with Delta Company, 1st Battalion, Fourth Marines. When we got to Phu Bai… we separated from the rest of the Battalion and became the stand-by company for quick reaction; besides guarding the SeaBee Battalion next door. The rest of the battalion got to eat hot meals on the other side of the highway… we were sill eating C-Rations. We were constantly being called out on "Sparrow Hawk" missions (reinforced platoon quick reaction team) and even Company sized reaction missions. Someone stepped in chit… we were the go-to guys to bail them out. We settled in, knowing our stay in Phu Bai would be short, before we moved further north in I-Corps to Dong Ha.

Unknown to me at the time was that three men were conspiring to make the upcoming Father's Day, my most memorable. You see, my father was in VA-55 on the USS Ranger, on Yankee Station. His immediate superior was LCdr. Theodore Kopfman (think he was the AMO)… He worked for the Skipper, Cdr. M.J. Chewning, the C.O. of VA-55. Kopfman and Chewing became aware that I was "in country" while they and my dad were off shore. One of them, don't know which one… came up with the idea it would be neat if we could be together in the war zone for Father's Day. Kopfman, with Chewning's blessing, set about to make it happen. This was in late May.

Then on the 3rd of June… Chewning took a hit in his A-4 cockpit, was severely wounded, but managed to make a single handed landing back on Ranger, despite his injury and loss of blood. I'm sure that you and others know of his heroic efforts. Unfortunately, his command was over as he could no longer fly. Kopfman went to my dad and finally told him what they were planning… and hoped Chewning's loss would not stop their intended surprise to get me out to Ranger… but he was worried it might not come off. Meanwhile, I and the Marine Corps were oblivious to what was in the works.

On 15 June, Delta Company was called out on a company quick reaction operation… One of our Combined Action Companies just north of Phu Bai, had been attacked the night before and we mounted up to try to find the retreating enemy force. We were inserted by hero's (I think this was a Freudian slip – Dutch) and got hot on their trail. It was hot as hell and the terrain was tough… everything from dense bush to flooded rice paddies and irrigation ditches… along with bamboo rushes. We tracked them most of the day, but made no direct contact. The irrigation ditches (small canals) and the rice paddies were full of water and had a distinct gray color due to the high clay content in the soil. During a rest period… Dan McMahon, my Company Commander, pointed out I had a "High Water" mark across my chest from fording one of the canals. From mid-chest down… my jungle utilities were no longer green, but gray. And my jungle boots were caked with the same gray mud and muck. Add to that, we had a potable water shortage and none of us had shaved for a couple of days. Dan opined, I was a sorry sight. It was a ball busting day, but it was decided to extract us by helo at days end, as we'd made no contact. They picked us up and flew us back to Phu Bai and we arrived just at dusk. And we were trucked back to our Company area.. We were all exhausted… and I just threw myself on my canvass cot in our tent and passed out just after mail call.

15 June 1966 was a ball buster for me… but nothing compared to what LCdr. Kopfman was going through… for that same day… LCdr. Theodore Kopfman was shot down and forced to eject over North Vietnam and was taken prisoner! And he remained so until 1973. That very night about 2330… I was awaken by the Company Runner and told to get to McMahon's tent ASAP! I crawled out of my rack and walked to the CP Tent and found McMahon sitting on the edge of his rack and he looked up and smiled and said… "You're to report to the Heli-Pad at 0500… They're flying you out to see your dad for Father's Day". I think I said… "You gotta be shitting me… Sir". Dan smiled and said… "Nope, just got this flash message from Division that Battalion sent over". I started to leave and realized I had no change of clothing… all our stuff was put in storage when we were sent out since they didn't know how long we'd be in the field. I turned to Mcmahon and said… I don't have a change of clothes. Dad looked at me and said, "Fuck it, you look hard"… with that, he slumped back on his cot. He was as tired as I was. On the way out of the CP… I put in a piss call with the Company Runner for 0430, so he could use the Skipper's "Mighty Mite" to get me over to the Heli-Pad. We got there just at 0500… I looked a mess… Filthy jungle utilities, muddy boots, my .45… and nothing else. My eyes were blood shot and I had about three days growth of beard. They put me in a CH-46 and we flew down the coat line to Da Nang and landed on the Marine side of the airfield. Now I had no orders and no idea how things would go from there? As I walked out of the helicopter… I see this Marine Major… he came over to me and says, "Are you Stafford"? I said, "Yes Sir"… His next words were… "Son, you look like shit"! I quickly explained we'd been out in the bush, fording rice paddies and dykes and our stuff was in storage… He stepped back and said… "Come to think of it… You look hard (just like McMahon)… Be good PR if they take pictures"… The Major's name was Chervin. He drove me over to the other side of the field and pulled up next to a Navy COD and said, "There's your ride". I thanked him and asked if he had any orders for me, he said no… just use your judgement, stay a couple of days and get back as soon as you can… also told me I could catch a flight back to Phu Bai from the transient line where we now were when I came back. I was then herded onto the C-1 and we flew out to Ranger.

After we trapped, they taxied us up in front of the island on the starboard elevator and chocked and chained us and shut us down. As I got out of the airplane… I must have been a sight… all these sailors were looking at me and trying to figure out who and what I was? We wore no rank in the field per our C.O.'s orders… I was filthy, unshaven and caked in mud… and I had a .45 on my shoulder. Later I was told they speculated I was someone who'd been rescued after evading for days… Later they got a kick out of finding out I was there to see my dad for Father's Day. Spent three glorious days on the boat… Marine Detachment spirited away my Jungle Utilities and boots, gave me a clean set of Stateside utilities and finally gave me mine back the next day… C.O. said they had to wash them three times to get all the mud out… and some poor bastard had to clean and polish my boots. That night they gave me a big steak for dinner… couldn't eat most of it as my stomach had shrunk. That night my dad sadly told me that the men who'd put together the whole thing had been wounded, CDR. Chewning... and LCdr. Kopfman had been shot down the day before and they didn't know his fate. Kinda put a damper on things.

Regardless… it was a nice visit. When I left to go back… it took a work party to load all the goodies the Navy and Marines gave me to share with my fellow Marines back in country. When I finally came back to the States… My mom showed me a letter my dad had written her the night I arrived… It started with… "Your Son"... came aboard today… as usual with his dirty laundry… BTW… Had an exciting end to the trip as the C-1 I was on, along with some ARVN wounded and a Corpsman… almost smacked the water after deck launching off the angle. I was looking up at the flight deck and could see all these sailors running to the deck edge to see if we were gonna make it. Things were never easy it seemed, where Vietnam was concerned? That's life I guess?

My dad and I talked about it for years and I made it a point to fly an F-4 up to Lemoore to try to meet both men after Kopfman was released and express my gratitude in person. Unfortunately, my timing was bad and both men were unavailable. I left them a letter, but never heard from them. But I remain, forever grateful.

We hear plenty about those who did not serve, but claim they had for psychological, monetary, or professional gain - but we often miss the order of magnitude more that served yet go about their lives more or less keeping it to themselves.

Service was part of what make them what they are, but does not define them. Most had standardesque service, some exceptional - but most do keep it to themselves unless it comes out in context of a conversation.

A perfect example is the man who, after a great and full life, recently passed on to his reward; Sir Christopher Lee.

He's also a 6'5" tall world champion fencer, speaks six languages, does all of his own stunts, has participated in more on-screen sword fights than any actor in history, served for five years defending democracy from global fascism as a British Commando blowing the shit out of Nazi asses in World War II, and became the oldest person to ever record lead vocals on a heavy metal track when, at the age of 88, he wrote, performed on, and released a progressive symphonic power metal EP about the life of Charlemagne ......Christopher Lee was born somewhere in England in 1922. His mother was an Italian Countess who was actually descended from the line of Charlemagne, and she was so important that she was allowed to wear the royal seal of Frederich Barbarossa and so MILF-y she had her portrait painted by something like a half-dozen famous Italian artists. One of Lee's ancestors on that side was the Papal Secretary of State who refused to attend the coronation of Napoleon and is buried in the Pantheon in Rome next to Raphael (the painter not the ninja turtle), which seems like kind of a big deal. Lee's father, meanwhile, was a distant relative of Robert E. Lee and was multi-decorated war hero who'd served as a Colonel in the 60th King's Royal Rifle Corps during World War I and the Boer War. Growing up, Lee studied Classics at Wellington College, where he was also a champion squash player, a ridiculously-badass fencer, and spent his spare time playing on the school hockey and rugby....... in 1939 when Christopher Lee quit his day job, caught a boat to Finland, and decided to enlist in the Finnish Army to help them fight off the Soviet invasion of Finland. Lee got geared up to kick some commie asses up and down the frozen wastes of mid-Winter Finland, but didn't see much action, returning home in 1940 to deal with a much bigger and more England-centric problem: Nazis.

Christopher Lee enlisted in the Royal Air Force in 1940, where he worked as an intelligence officer specializing in cracking German ciphers ... In North Africa he was attached to the Long Range Desert Patrol, the forerunner of the SAS, ... After working with the LRDP, Lee was assigned to the Special Operations Executive – better known as Winston Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare – a group that did shit like lead a twelve-man assault that destroyed the German top secret nuclear weapons development facility in Norway and assist brave Eastern European partisans and rebels sabotage Nazi supply lines to prevent them from bringing reinforcements up to fight the Soviets. ... Lee doesn't talk much about his service (when pressed on the subject, he reportedly asks his interviewer, "Can you keep a secret?". When they excitedly say yes, he leans in close and says, "So can I."), but we do know that by the time he retired as a Flight Lieutenant in 1945 he'd been personally decorated for battlefield bravery by the Czech, Yugoslavian, English, and Polish governments and was good friends with Josip Broz Tito, so draw your own conclusions.

Well played, sir. Well played and well done.

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Thanks to Eagle for this latest news on the status of the oxygen systems on Navy fighters and training aircraft. There are a couple more sites at the end of this one.

As Harry Carey used to say "Holy Cow"!!!! This article does not give you a warm fuzzy feeling that they are on a straight path to fixing the issue. L

This post has been updated to include additional comment from Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran in a phone call with reporters.

A comprehensive review of the rising number of physiological episodes and the Navy's response to those PEs determined the Navy's oxygen-generation and cabin pressure systems are too complex for reliable performance, and that the process for reporting and investigating the root cause of physiological episodes is "fundamentally flawed," according to the review released this afternoon.

U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Scott Swift, who led the review effort, summed up the challenge of addressing the ongoing physiological episodes by writing in his cover letter, "this is a complex issue, one without a single cause, and therefore, without a single solution. The only common thread running through all of these cases is that aircrew were physically affected."

The challenge of reining in physiological episodes – the collective name for either hypoxia, where a pilot receives insufficient or contaminated oxygen, or decompression sickness due to unsafe cabin pressure – predates the 2010 stand-up of a Physiological Episode Team, which was established after a noticeable jump in PEs between 2009 and 2010. The report notes that 2010 jump in events is likely due to increased awareness of decompression sickness and hypoxia, while better reporting in recent years means that post-2010 data is likely more reflective of the actual number of incidents in the fleet.

Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran ordered Swift to begin this comprehensive review in April. Speaking to reporters today, Moran said "as we all watched the surge in physiological episodes occurring in the fleet, going back to last fall, especially in the F-18 community, and then after the new year into February and March in the T-45 community, and we started to look at all the activity that was going on, both at the NAVAIR Systems Command, out in the fleet, down in the training command and elsewhere, I wanted to make sure that we were fully capturing all of the lessons learned from all that activity, making sure it was coordinated, and ensuring that we're on a productive path to both sharing the information across all that activity but also to make sure we were all remaining focused on the root causes and applying the fixes we think we needed to go after."

The comprehensive review notes several major challenges for the Navy's ongoing efforts to identify the cause of these PEs and find a way to stop them. First, the report states "there is no single, dedicated entity leading PE resolution efforts" and therefore no unity in correction and mitigation efforts. The report recommends establishing a new organization to lead all naval efforts to resolve PEs, which would be led by a flag or general officer from the naval aviation community and – unlike the existing Physiological Episode Team – would exist for only a year or two until its mission was completed.

The report also criticizes the OBOGS and the Environmental Control System (ECS) themselves.

"The integration of the on-board oxygen generation system (OBOGS) in the T-45 and FA-18 is inadequate to consistently provide high quality breathing air. To varying degrees, neither aircraft is equipped to continuously provide clean, dry air to OBOGS – a design specification for the device. The net result is contaminants can enter aircrew breathing air provided by OBOGS and potentially induce hypoxia," reads the report."The environmental control system (ECS) aboard T-45 and FA-18 providing cockpit pressurization is a complex aggregate of sub-components, all of which must function for the system to work as a whole. Aging parts, inadequate testing methodologies and numerous other factors are impacting Fleet ECS reliability, inducing several instances of Decompression Sickness (DCS)."

Among other recommendations, the report calls for a depot-level effort to inspect the entire ECS and OBOGS systems on F-18s – legacy F/A-18A-D Hornets, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers – beyond what can be accomplished during squadron-level maintenance. This would include "a comprehensive and holistic 'end to end' inspection" of all sub-components and piping. This type of deep dive is already taking place for F-18s that have experienced some type of failure in the Environmental Control System. It also recommends redesigning aircraft systems to meet OBOGS' standards for safely generating breathing air. It also calls for the creation of an integrated life support system program office at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) that "manages Naval Aviation oxygen generation and connecting systems; cabin environment and pressurization systems; and physiological monitoring. This program must regularly leverage the lessons of other organizations managing similar technologies."

Then-U.S. Seventh Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Jonathan Greenert dons an oxygen mask and pilot's helmet as he prepares for a flight in an F/A-18F Super Hornet, flown by the Diamondbacks of Strike Fighter Squadron One Zero Two (VFA-102), during his visit to USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) in 2005. US Navy photo.

The comprehensive review takes aim at the processes currently used to identify and study PEs in the fleet: from a flawed reporting system that relies on self-diagnosis, to an "engineering-centric PR mitigation effort in which potential causes can be dismissed without full adjudication," to NAVAIR's "organizational alignment that does not reflect the complex, integrated human-machine nature of the PE problem" and looks at each component individually rather than studying the entire set of forces acting upon aircrews.

After reading the report, Moran told reporters that he had two big takeaways regarding how the Navy handled the evolving situation.

"Our normal response time in reacting to trends was insufficient to react to the pace of how quickly these issues were emerging in both the fleet and in the training command. But I would say we were especially slow to reacting to what was going on in T-45s. Our focus was clearly on the fleet and the F-18 community in the fall, and we were slow to react in the T-45 community," the VCNO said.

Additionally, he noted "our failure to communicate effectively down the chain of command, right down to the cockpit, to our instructors and our students who were operating high-performance complex machines. We could have and should have done better in communicating what we were learning and what we were doing about it so we kept everybody informed."

Until an ongoing root cause analysis turns up any answers, not much may change for the f-18s immediately. Moran said planes that experience ECS failures will continue to be torn apart in the depot to look for potential component failures that led to a physiological event.

"Over time, as we continue to analyze those components, if one appears to be the principle culprit we would naturally go after replacing those components throughout the fleet in a phased approach," he said, and then those components would be replaced on a time schedule instead of waiting for them to fail.

The T-45s, which are still not being flown by students, are in for some big changes in the near-term. Moran rattled off a list of components that F-18s have that the T-45 does not that may contribute to the spike in PEs in the trainer jet.

"We do not have a water separator mechanism in the OBOGS system for the T-45, where we do on similar OBOGS systems in high-performance jets. If you talk to anybody who studies oxygen systems on an airplane, it's very clear that you need clean, dry air that is being delivered to the air crew in the right pressure and the right volume. Without a water separator in that system, we believe that there's a potential for water moisture to get in there and not provide the effective dry air that could cause issues with the right pressure and volume. So installing the water separator is critical, so we're on path to do that. We've got 25 or so that are installed and we're on a path to complete that by the end of the summer, early fall. So that's one," the admiral told reporters today."Another one that continues to the water moisture in the line in the bleed air shutoff valve that is right at the exit point for the air that comes off the engine and starts into the OBOGS system. For a lot of reasons, years ago that bleed air valve was causing problems because it was shutting off without warning, those sorts of things, and so we either hard-wired them open or took them out altogether. So our analysis is we need to go back and re-engineer, redesign that bleed air valve so that it operates correctly and actually purges the system from water moisture coming off the engine. That is in the works and those valves will be delivered in a tapered way."

Additionally, new masks are being delivered and instructor pilots are already taking some warmup flights with the new masks to make sure they're comfortable using them.

"Sometime in the next couple weeks" students will begin warmup flights too, using the new masks, Moran said, and as soon as more T-45s are modified with the changes he outlined, the training schools will ramp up to full flight operations by the end of the summer.

Item Number:1 Date: 06/16/2017 AFGHANISTAN - ISIS CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR FATAL ATTACK AT KABUL MOSQUE (JUN 16/TN) TOLONEWS -- Afghan officials say an attack at a Shi'ite mosque in Kabul has killed at least six people, reports TOLO News (Afghanistan). There was an explosion and gunfire Thursday night during a ceremony at the Al-Zahra mosque in the Afghan capital, reported witnesses cited by the Independent (U.K.). Officials said three attackers attempted to enter the mosque, but were blocked by police. They then hid in a kitchen. One detonated a bomb and the other two were killed by security forces, said an Interior Ministry spokesman cited by Reuters. Casualties have been reported variously. Kabul police said four people were killed, including three civilians. The Interior Ministry said four victims and three perpetrators were dead. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on its Amaq news agency

Item Number:2 Date: 06/16/2017 AUSTRALIA - IN BID TO COMBAT TERRORISM, CANBERRA ANNOUNCES NATIONWIDE GUN AMNESTY (JUN 16/AUSBC) AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION -- Citing the increased terrorism threat, the Australian government has announced a national gun amnesty aimed at illegal firearms, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corp. The amnesty will being on July 1 and run for three months, said Justice Minister Michael Keenan on Friday. The program allows anyone with an unwanted or unregistered weapon and fire-arm related weapons to hand them in without fear of prosecution. Those caught outside the amnesty period with an unregistered firearm face fines of up to Aus$280,000 (US$213,220) or up to 14 years in jail. "Clearly the fact [is] we've got a deteriorating national security environment, we've got an environment where there has been five terrorists attacks on our soil and sadly in the vast majority of those cases it has been an illegal firearm that's been used," said Keenan. This will be the first nationwide gun amnesty since 1996. The amnesty followed the worst mass shooting in the nation's history, noted the BBC. A gunman opened fire at Port Arthur, a popular tourist site in southeastern Tasmania, killing 35 people

Item Number:3 Date: 06/16/2017 CANADA - HALIFAX-CLASS FRIGATES NEED NEW CRANES TO DEPLOY SMALL BOATS, SAYS NAVAL REQUEST (JUN 16/LOCX) LOCAL XPRESS -- The Royal Canadian Navy says it needs new cranes for its Halifax-class frigates, reports the Local Xpress (Canada). The existing cranes can no longer lower rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) into the sea, or lift them up again when they are fully loaded with boarding parties, officials said, as cited by the paper on Wednesday. "As a result of increased operational demand and obsolescence, the existing davit and crane configuration on Halifax class no longer meets the operational requirements of the ships," says a new request for proposals (RFP). The RHIB davit also lacks the ability to support the planned new multi-role boat, boats used by other government agencies, the RFP says. The navy is looking for 16 electro-hydraulic marine cranes to replace the existing davit and torpedo handling-rescue cranes installed on the starboard side of the frigates. The RFP calls for initial delivery of the new crane within a year, with deliveries to be completed within two years after that

Item Number:4 Date: 06/16/2017 CROATIA - 18 FIGHTERS TOP PLANS FOR DEFENSE BUDGET (JUN 16/DN) DEFENSE NEWS -- The Croatian Defense Ministry is planning to acquire new unmanned aircraft and fighter jets as part of a defense budget increase, reports Defense News. The ministry first revealed plans to buy new fighters in 2015. However, a lack of defense spending has hindered the program. The government in Zagreb this year approved a 9 percent budget boost to about US$670 million. President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has pledged that his government will make public a strategy to increase military spending from 1.23 percent of gross domestic product to 2 percent by 2024. Plans call for procuring at least 18 fighters to replace aging Soviet-era aircraft. Leading contenders are said to be the U.S. F-16 and Swedish Gripen. Possible alternatives include the French Mirage, Israeli Kfir and a variant of the South Korean T-50. The Defense Ministry also wants to set up an unmanned aerial vehicle squadron

Item Number:5 Date: 06/16/2017 DJIBOUTI - AFTER QATARI PEACEKEEPERS LEFT, ERITREAN TROOPS ENTERED DISPUTED TERRITORY, SAYS FOREIGN MINISTER (JUN 16/REU) REUTERS -- Djiboutian officials say Eritrean troops have occupied disputed territory along their border after Qatar withdrew its peacekeepers, reports Reuters. Qatar announced that it would withdraw its contingent. The move came after both Eritrea and Djibouti sided with Saudi Arabia in a diplomatic dispute with Qatar. "Qatari peacekeepers withdrew on June 12 and 13. On the same day, there were Eritrean military movements on the mountain," Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf on Friday. "They are now in full control of Dumeira Mountain and Dumeira Island," he said, calling it a breach of a U.N. Security Council resolution. Saudi Arabia and several Arab nations cut travel and diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism

Item Number:6 Date: 06/16/2017 IRAQ - GOVERNMENT FORCES HAVE OLD CITY OF MOSUL ALMOST COMPLETELY SURROUNDED (JUN 16/IQN) IRAQI NEWS -- Iraqi government forces say they are close to completing the encirclement of Islamic State in Mosul's Old City, reports Iraqi News. Government forces captured the Bab Sinjar area on Thursday, effectively cutting off the main entrance to the Old City, said the Joint Operations Command overseeing the offensive. Because of narrow streets of the Old City, the army's 9th Division and its armored vehicles will have to remain outside the area. Infantry forces from the army, the Counter-Terrorism Service and the Interior Ministry's Rapid Response forces will take the lead, said one official. Government force will also have to take full control of the Medical City, further north along the Tigris River, to be able to encircle the Old City, noted Reuters. A few hundred ISIS fighters are believed to be holed up in the Old City, which is the group's last stronghold in western Mosul. Government forces captured the eastern half of the city in February

Item Number:7 Date: 06/16/2017 IRAQ - TROOPS TAKE DOWN WOULD-BE INFILTRATORS OUTSIDE SAMARRA (JUN 16/XIN) XINHUA -- Iraqi security forces say they have killed five apparent suicide bombers who were trying to enter the city of Samarra in Salahuddin province, reports Xinhua, China's state news agency. The government forces ambushed the would-be attackers early Friday to the east of the city, said a provincial official. The five were killed in the ensuing gunbattle. All were wearing explosive belts, the official said. No specific group was named. The Islamic State maintains a presence in neighboring Anbar province

Item Number:8 Date: 06/16/2017 LESOTHO - ESTRANGED WIFE OF PRIME MINISTER SHOT, KILLED (JUN 16/INDEP) INDEPENDENT -- Police in Lesotho are searching for gunmen who shot and killed the wife of incoming Prime Minister Thomas Thabane on Wednesday, reports the Independent (South Africa). Some accounts suggested only one assailant was involved. Lipolelo Alice Thabane was traveling with a female friend in Maseru, near Lesotho's main international airport, when they were attacked on Wednesday evening. The friend sustained serious injuries. Thomas Thabane and Lipolelo Thabane are estranged and have lived separately since 2012. The husband has filed for a divorce that had not yet been granted, noted Reuters. Supporters of the new prime minister blamed the military for the attack, noting there have been no arrests in previous murders of Thabane's backers. Thomas Thabane has survived several assassination attempts by the army and was forced to flee to South Africa on two occasions. He won a snap election on June 3 and is scheduled to be inaugurated on Friday. His estranged wife reportedly survived an attempt on her life earlier in the week. There are concerns that the attack could lead to a fresh wave of political violence, noted Reuters.

Item Number:9 Date: 06/16/2017 PHILIPPINES - SECURITY FORCES ARREST ALLEGED BOMB-MAKER IN CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (JUN 16/PDI) PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER -- Philippine security forces say they have arrested a suspected terrorist bomber in Cagayan de Oro City in the nation's southern Misamis Oriental province, reports the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Mohammad Noaim Maute, also known as Abu Jadid, was arrested on Thursday morning, said a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command. The suspect used a fake Mindanao State University ID to get through checkpoints, said a police report. Maute is believed to be relative of the brothers of the same name who are leading the fight against authorities in Marawi. More than 200 people have been killed in the fighting in Marawi over the last four weeks, officials said. Maute was not believed to be high in the terrorist group's hierarchy. He is a follower trained in bomb-making, according to a military spokesman cited by GMA News.

APPED BY ABU SAYYAF IN NOVEMBER IS FREE AFTER RESCUE MISSION BY TROOPS (JUN 16/XIN) XINHUA -- Philippine troops have recovered a Vietnamese hostage who had been held by Abu Sayyaf terrorists for more than seven months, reports Xinhua, China's state news agency. The hostage, identified as Hoang Vo, was a crew member of the MV Royal 16. Abu Sayyaf attacked the vessel on Nov. 11, 2016, southeast of Sibago Island, taking five Vietnamese hostages. On Friday, Vo escaped from the militants, who had been dispersed because of military air and artillery strikes, said the military. He was wounded, given medical attention, and is in stable condition, reported AFP. Agence France-Presse noted that Vo was receovered about 8:30 a.m., local time, citing a military statement. Abu Sayyaf still holds 26 hostages, includes 21 in Sulu and five in Basilan, said the military.

Item Number:11 Date: 06/16/2017 RUSSIA - DEFENSE MINISTRY CHECKING UNCONFIRMED REPORTS OF ISIS LEADER'S DEATH IN SYRIA (JUN 16/RT) RUSSIA TODAY -- The Kremlin says it is investigating reports that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a Russian airstrike in Syria last month, reports Russia's RT news channel. Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers and an Su-35 made airstrikes on May 28 near Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIS, said the Russian Defense Ministry. The strike was aimed at high-ranking ISIS leaders meeting with Baghdadi to discuss an exit from Raqqa. Several ISIS leaders were killed, possibly including Baghdadi, according to information received by the ministry. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday, "I don't have 100 percent confirmation of the information concerning the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi." U.S. defense officials said they were not able to confirm that Baghdadi had been killed, noted CNN. Baghdadi has been erroneously reported killed several times in the past

Item Number:12 Date: 06/16/2017 SUDAN - U.N., A.U. PROPOSE MAJOR CUTS IN DARFUR PEACEKEEPING FORCE (JUN 16/UNNS) UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE -- The African Union and United Nations are recommending significant personnel reductions in Sudan's western Darfur region as part of an eventual end to their missions with the joint force, reports the U.N. News Service. The A.U. wants to reduce its forces by 44 percent; the U.N. has proposed a 30 percent reduction in military and police personnel, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operation El-Ghassim Wane told the Security Council. "The reconfiguration of UNAMID [U.N.-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur] is an important milestone towards the completion of its mandate," he said. UNAMID was established by the Security Council on July 31, 2007. The level of hostilities in Darfur remains significantly lower than in previous years, said Wane. A successful military operation by the Sudanese government has reduced the rebellion to a small presence in Western Jebel Marra, he noted. There has also been progress on the political front, said the assistant secretary-general. The proposal calls for altering the mission to focus on peacebuilding in most parts of Darfur, while retaining a peacekeeping approach in and around Jebel Marra, said Wane. The reconfiguration would reduce the troop ceiling from 16 battalions to eight, and the police mission from 3,403 to 2,360 officers

Item Number:13 Date: 06/16/2017 SWEDEN - NEW GRIPEN E FIGHTER MAKES MAIDEN FLIGHT (JUN 16/SAAB) SAAB -- Swedish defense firm Saab has announced the maiden flight of the first Gripen E prototype fighter jet. The fighter took off from the company's airfield in Linkoping, Sweden, on Thursday morning local time, and flew for 40 minutes, said a Saab release. The jet conducted a number of test actions, including retracting and extending the landing gear, said company officials. The aircraft performed as expected, with smooth handling and impressive acceleration, said the Saab test pilot. The prototype was equipped "with the fully qualified software," said company officials quoted by Flight Global. Plans call for deliveries of the new Gripens to Sweden and Brazil to begin in 2019

Item Number:14 Date: 06/16/2017 UNITED KINGDOM - EXPLOSION AT CASTLEMARTIN TANK-FIRING RANGE KILLS 2, INJURES 2 (JUN 16/GUARDIAN) GUARDIAN -- Two British soldiers have been killed and two others injured in an incident involving a tank at a firing range in southwest Wales, reports the Guardian (U.K.). There was an explosion during an exercise Wednesday at the Castlemartin range in Pembrokeshire, said defense officials. A round apparently exploded in a Challenger 2 tank with the Royal Tank Regiment. The Daily Telegraph noted that the crew was using practice shells. Such shells have a dummy warhead but the same propelling charges as combat shells. Early reports indicated that one soldier was killed and three were wounded. One of the wounded succumbed to his injuries on Thursday. The Minister of Defense temporarily banned tank live-firing and the ammunition involved. An investigation has also been opened

Item Number:15 Date: 06/16/2017 UNITED KINGDOM - PLANNED CUTS TO MOD POLICE COULD 'HARM NATIONAL SECURITY,' WARNS UNION LEADER (JUN 16/PLYHERALD) PLYMOUTH HERALD -- The union head of the Defense Police Federation (DPF) in the U.K. has warned that proposed cuts to the Ministry of Defense Police (MDP) will "harm national security," reports the Plymouth Herald (U.K.). The police force has been ordered to find 12.5 million pounds (US$16.1 million) in savings, indicating that the government is placing finances ahead of the protection of critical assets, said Eamon Keating, the DPF chairman. The DPF represents MoD police officers. The DPF maintains that the civilian force is already undermanned, with only about 2,300 officers instead of the needed 2,600. To find savings, the MDP plans to set its new end-strength at less than 2,300 officers and abandon recruitment. Such actions would leave fewer armed officers available for major incidents, such as the recent bombing in Manchester, said Keating. The force is responsible for guarding the Royal Navy's nuclear submarines and Trident nuclear missile deterrent

Item Number:16 Date: 06/16/2017 USA - 7 DAYS AFTER GOING MISSING, SAILOR FOUND ON USS SHILOH (JUN 16/NTIMES) NAVY TIMES -- A U.S. Navy sailor who was believed to have been missing at sea for a week has been found alive onboard his ship, reports the Navy Times. Petty Officer 3rd Class Peter Mims went missing on June 8 and was thought to have fallen overboard the Shiloh cruiser off the coast of Japan. A massive search-and-rescue effort was launched -- involving helicopters and aircraft from the Ronald Reagan carrier, two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, a Navy P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and a Japanese coast guard ship. The search, which covered more than 5,500 square miles off Japan, was called off on June 11, though sailors still looked for him, reported USNI News. On June 15, the Navy said in a statement the Mims had been found alive aboard the Shiloh. He had apparently hidden in an engine room, reported the Navy Times. Mims was transferred to the Ronald Reagan for a medical evaluation. His disappearance is under investigation

Item Number:17 Date: 06/16/2017 USA - ADVANCED CARRIER HAS PROBLEMS LAUNCHING JETS (JUN 16/BLOOMBERG) BLOOMBERG NEWS -- The U.S. Navy's newest aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, has troubles with its aircraft landing system, which has seen its cost triple, reports Bloomberg News, citing internal service documents. The cost of the advanced arresting gear, being developed by General Atomics, has jumped from $301 million to $961 million, according to the documents obtained by Bloomberg News. The Navy maintains that the landing system has been fixed. However, the electromagnetic aircraft launching system (EMALS) still has not been cleared to launch F/A-18E/F fighters carrying a full load of fuel tanks under their wings. The cost growth for the development of the advanced arresting gear was covered by the Navy under the terms of the contract. A Navy spokeswoman said that General Atomics forfeited all bonus fees it might have received during the 2009-2016 development phase. The service has also been regularly reviewing the company's master schedule for the second ship in the class, the John F. Kennedy. The service has placed personnel at the General Atomics facility in Rancho Bernardo, Calif., to monitor progress, the spokeswoman said. The Navy believes that fixes for the EMALS issues will be in place in time for the Ford's post-shakedown availability in 2018, according to NAVAIR. Launches of aircraft with full fuel tanks are supposed to follow in 2019

Item Number:18 Date: 06/16/2017 USA - ARMY WANTS TO KEEP BASE IN MANNHEIM, WITH POTENTIAL TO ADD OTHERS (JUN 16/S&S) STARS AND STRIPES -- U.S. Army Europe is negotiating with the German government to continue using a base in Mannheim that was slated to close, reports the Stars and Stripes. The command left the Coleman Barracks in Mannheim in 2011. USAREUR then returned in 2015 on what was expected to be a temporary basis at the time. The Army believed it needed readily available infrastructure to accommodate an influx of tanks and other combat vehicles that were returning to Europe in response to concerns about Russian aggression. The Army now says it needs to "retain" the base, said a spokesman. He said USAREUR is also evaluating a range of other sites that could host additional troops and equipment should the Pentagon decide to further strengthen its presence. The U.S. military has been bolstering its capabilities in Europe since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014

Item Number:19 Date: 06/16/2017 USA - PENTAGON MULLS SENDING THOUSANDS MORE TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN (JUN 16/CBS) CBS NEWS -- The Pentagon is working on plans to send additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, reports CBS News. The number involved are expected to be between 3,000 and 5,000, depending on the final plans, said CBS News' security correspondent. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump gave the Pentagon the authority to set troop levels in Afghanistan. A decision by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis could be announced as early as next week, an unnamed official told the Associated Press on Thursday. Most of the additional troops will train and advise Afghan forces. A small number will be assigned to counterterror operations against the Taliban and the Islamic State, said an official. A Pentagon spokesman said, "No decisions have been made," when asked about the AP report

Item Number:20 Date: 06/16/2017 USA - WATCHDOG BLASTS NAVY FOR AVOIDING NECESSARY MAINTENANCE (JUN 16/NTIMES) NAVY TIMES -- The Navy has fallen short on needed maintenance in an effort to meet its operational goals, reports the Navy Times, citing a government watchdog. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Navy has been skipping normal maintenance for more than a decade and prolonging deployments to keep ships at sea. As a result, the service is experiencing "declining ship conditions across the fleet and a worsening trend in overall ship readiness," says the report published on June 13. The Navy launched an updated maintenance schedule in late 2014. This was expected to emphasize increased employability. The GAO reports that the new policy may not meet requirements. None of first three aircraft carriers to use the new schedule completed maintenance in a timely fashion, the report says.

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